| A pocket knife is a folding knife with a blade that | | | | typically one non-locking knife blade. |
| fits inside the handle and that is small enough to | | | | Locking Knife: medium-sized lock back knife with |
| fit in a pocket, with blades no larger than 3 to 5 | | | | deer-antler grips, nickel-silver bolsters and brass |
| in. in length. These knives are very versatile tools, | | | | liners |
| and can be used for anything from opening an | | | | Locking Pocket Knives became popular in the |
| envelope, to cutting rope, to slicing fruit. | | | | 1900's. Companies like Buck, Benchmade, Camillus, |
| Pocket knives can cost anywhere from $1 at | | | | Gerber, Kershaw Letherman and Spyderco, to |
| convenience stores, to thousands of dollars for | | | | name a few, have created a wide range of |
| custom, hand-crafted pieces. Well-made knives | | | | products with locks of all types. This most popular |
| start at around $20. | | | | form is similar to a slip joint, except that instead |
| Most light duty pocket knives are slip joints, which | | | | of the user releasing the blade with pressure, the |
| means the blade does not lock, but once it's | | | | user has to press on a lever on the back of the |
| opened it locks in place by a spring device that | | | | knife handle to release the blade, adding a level of |
| allows the blade to fold with a certain amount of | | | | safety. There are other types of locks; some of |
| pressure applied. | | | | the more popular ones are the liner lock, the |
| These knives often have more than one blade, | | | | frame lock, and the Axis lock. |
| (serrated, plain edged, saws) as well as a other | | | | Even the Swiss Army knife has adopted the |
| tools such as bottle openers, corkscrews and | | | | locks on some knives. Leatherman tools are now |
| scissors. A large tool selection is the signature of | | | | available with locking blades. Most locking knives |
| the Swiss Army Knife. These knives are issued to | | | | have only one blade, as large as can be fit in the |
| the army and sold to the public. | | | | handle. An electrician's knife typically has a locking |
| The German Army knife is large but light, with | | | | screwdriver blade but a non-locking knife blade. |
| two blades opening from each side. It has hard | | | | Nearly all pocket knives are legal to own, but they |
| plastic grips and aluminum liners. The United States | | | | increasingly face legal restrictions on their use. |
| Army knife used to have blades susceptible to | | | | While pocket knives are almost always used as |
| rust and brass liners but now all Stainless Steel | | | | tools, they do have the potential to become |
| and very heavy and rugged. It has four blades | | | | weapons. In many places it is illegal to conceal |
| opening from the same side. The handle, has | | | | knives larger than a certain size, or with certain |
| rough edges, but can be rounded. | | | | locking or opening mechanisms. |
| There are many traditional types of folding knives: | | | | They are often banned or heavily restricted in |
| A pen knife: a small, thin knife with one or two | | | | secure areas, such as schools and airports. |
| pen blades, that does not interfere with the | | | | Switchblades and other "auto-openers" are banned |
| appearance of dress clothes, when carried in a | | | | from interstate shipment by the U.S. Government |
| pocket. | | | | and prohibited entirely in many places, including 37 |
| The Leatherman: similar combination of tools | | | | US states. Nevertheless, they retain a significant |
| compete with multi-bladed knives, but most of | | | | following, associated with those who enjoy |
| these are too large for carrying in a pocket. The | | | | camping, hunting, fishing, and so on. |
| "main blade" is typically a pair of pliers and there is | | | | |